Recovered 200GB+ of data after accidentally deleting my partitions during Linux Mint installation — DMDE saved me!
I wanted to share my recent data-recovery experience because it might help someone who finds themselves in a similar situation.
I had previously installed Windows on both my PC and laptop, so I was fairly comfortable with OS installations. This time, I decided to install Linux Mint XFCE on my laptop.
Initially, I tried installing Linux Mint alongside Windows for dual boot. The installation completed, but Linux didn't appear as a boot option afterward.
So, I decided to try installing Linux again, this time choosing the option to replace Windows. I misunderstood the option and thought it would basically format/delete only the C: drive where Windows was installed. I had around 200GB+ of personal data stored on my other partitions, so I wasn't expecting those files to be affected.
Within 10 seconds of starting the installation, something didn't feel right. I immediately cancelled the installation.
I then tried booting into Windows.
"No bootable device found."
At that point, I checked the drive and realized that my partitions were gone. My heart sank. 😓 I genuinely thought I had lost all my personal files.
I started searching Reddit and came across discussions about TestDisk and DMDE. I first tried TestDisk, but unfortunately, it couldn't properly identify/recover my original partitions.
Then I tried DMDE.
And this is where things turned around.
DMDE was able to detect the old NTFS filesystems and partitions, even though Windows was no longer showing them. I opened the detected volumes and, to my huge relief, I could actually see my original folders and files!
I started recovering the data to another hard drive. In the end, I was able to recover essentially all of my important 200GB+ of data. A very small number of files were corrupted, but thankfully the important ones were intact.
After recovering everything, I was even able to restore the original partition layout and get the partitions visible in Windows again.
What I learned from this:
- Never assume that "Replace Windows" only affects the C: drive.
- If you've accidentally started an OS installation, stop as soon as you realize something is wrong.
- Do not format, initialize, or write anything else to the affected drive.
- TestDisk is worth trying, but don't give up if it doesn't find what you're looking for.
- DMDE was the tool that ultimately saved my data.
- Always keep important data backed up on another drive.
A huge THANK YOU to the Reddit community, the people who shared their recovery experiences, DMDE, and ChatGPT, which helped me understand what was happening and guided me through the recovery process step by step.
I went from thinking "I've lost 200GB+ of personal data" to getting almost everything back. Definitely one of the most stressful computer experiences I've had! 😅
If you're currently in a similar situation: don't panic, and most importantly, don't write anything else to the affected drive. There may still be hope.